Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin is calling for legislation that would halt the salaries of parents who have abandoned their children and neglected their parental duties.
He proposed that the withheld salaries be utilized by the government to support the education and maintenance of these children.
Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin believes that if the government imposes a freeze on the salaries of parents who abandon their children, it would encourage responsible parenting nationwide, diminish the issue of streetism, and safeguard the welfare of these innocent children.
Addressing the 2024 Ohum Kan Festival durbar in Kyebi, Okyenhene voiced his concern about parents who neglect their offspring after birth.
“You give birth in your community and abscond to a different town to work without providing for your children. That is irresponsible. The state should be able to freeze your salary or whatever you earn, and use it to take care of the child. You will work but your salary will go to the children you have deserted”, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin stressed.
Okyenhene urged parents to take responsibility for their children’s well-being and safety to foster a safer and more harmonious community.
He warned that children abandoned and left to fend for themselves on the streets could eventually become a source of trouble for the affluent if their situation is not addressed.
Discussing the importance of patriotism and responsibility, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin alluded to reports that some teaching and non-teaching staff at various Senior High Schools are intentionally undermining the Free SHS policy.
He noted that some staff members have developed a habit of pilfering food supplies intended for the students.
He referenced an incident in Kyebi where a staff member stole food meant for the students and emphasized that such individuals should be publicly identified and condemned.
“The state is struggling to ensure that every Ghanaian child gets some basic education for free. You steal food items meant for these innocent children and create shortage of food in the schools then you have the gust to video food being served in the school and make mockery of its quality to the world. Have you forgotten you stole the stuff ? You don’t have shame ?” Osagyefuo stressed.
He urged Ghanaians to revive their sense of patriotism and love for their country.
Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin advised the youth to avoid all forms of drug abuse and lead a respectable lifestyle.
“They say there is one called tramadol or something, they take it and become sober. It’s not good, you must desist from drug abuse in all forms. The nation needs you,” Okyenhene added.
He advocates for the Police to vigorously pursue drug traffickers and bring them to justice, as their actions have serious repercussions on both the youth and the elderly.
This year’s Ohum festival coincides with Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin’s 25th anniversary of ascending to the Ofori Panin Stool.
The Ohum festival embodies the fundamental Akan belief in the interconnectedness of the deceased, the living, and the yet-to-be-born.